MERU.

PHOTO: Series of Art inspired self portrait

About

Meriliis Rinne alias MERU is an Estonian artist living and working in UK. She first studied law at the University of Tartu, which deepened her interest in paradoxes and social pressure, i.e., topics that she attempts to solve now as a painter. Her main medium is painting but she currently explores sculpture, film, photography and performance. Member of Artcan- a growing art organisation for emerging contemporary artists. Her work is been exhibited in UK and internationally including 57th Venice Biennale and Frieze art fair events in London with artist led project Empire II. She is been part of the TEDx Talks in UK 2014.

Her art is reflective of the world today — there is diversity of material, subject and form using larger contextual frameworks such as personal or cultural identity and questions how to be artist, woman and human on a same time.

Her eclectic series of works are distinguished by the very lack of a uniformed organising principle, maybe because of her background having grown up at the end of the soviet era which was itself really uniformed matchbox environment.

Artist favours acrylic paints and oils but also using what she can from the environment to recycle - from newspapers or burlap coffee bags to electronic pieces to make art.

A big believer in giving back –she partly does this by helping fund raising efforts for children’s hospitals in Estonia by creating art work for charity auctions, as she feels that art work has more emotional value over money.